The Right Man
by iloveromance
Summary: Sometimes the right person is closer than we think. AU combination of "Seat of Power" and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" Christmas gift for jessie33


_**A/N: This began on paper as a "Seat of Power" story but resulted in an AU combination of the two episodes. **_

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in, Daphne? We could sit on the couch… talk… have a drink."

Daphne smiled at the ruggedly handsome man standing before her, relieved that the evening had finally come to an end. "It's sweet of you to ask Robert, but I'm rather tired. Thank you for dinner. I had a lovely evening."  
>He smiled, making her feel a bit guilty for bringing the evening to an end sooner than either of them expected. But because of the constant lull in conversation and the uncomfortable silence, they both knew that the evening wasn't going well at all. Still, the thought made her heart sink. It wasn't that she was madly in love with Robert, far from it. But this date was just another reminder of how unlucky she was in the relationship department. However, her heart still held a flicker of hope. There could be a chance for them, as long as they were both open and honest with one another.<p>

Her heart beat faster and she took a deep breath, knowing that she needed to say more. "I-I really mean that, Robert. The dinner was delicious and I had a wonderful…." Her voice trailed away when she noticed that Robert's smile had faded, along with the sincerity of her words. The statement was blunt and not in the least sincere, making her feel even more at fault. But suddenly she wanted this relationship to work out, no matter how fabricated their feelings might be. The truth was that she was tired of being alone.

"Well… Goodnight, Robert." She moved to kiss him but he turned his head slightly, allowing her lips to land on his cheek. It may have only been a reflex on his part, but the gesture stung badly, opening an old wound that she thought had long since healed. And with a sad smile he turned and walked to the elevator. "See ya, Daph. It was fun."

"Goodnight, Robert."

As she closed the door she blinked back tears. It was ridiculous getting upset over a man she'd met barely twelve hours ago, but in those twelve hours, her heart held hope. Now it held only emptiness. As a lone tear made its way down her cheek she angrily brushed it away and went to hang up her coat. She was surprised by the darkness of the living room, indicating that everyone had gone out for the evening. But she couldn't blame them, with what the changes that had inhabited the place earlier. Chaos, which, ironically had begun with Frasier throwing a fit over a scuff on his precious hardwood floor. This in turn had led to Niles offering Frasier the services of his contractor who came and repaired the floor, but ended up with a much bigger task. The work ultimately led to an unexpected date with a man whom she couldn't deny was very, very handsome. But his looks barely scratched the surface of who he really was and now she was just grateful to be at home.

She was about to set her purse down on a nearby chair when a light flickered on, startling her.

"Oh, Dr. Crane, I didn't know anyone was here."

"Hello, Daphne."

She jumped at the unexpected voice that was not her boss but that of his younger brother. "Dr. Crane… I didn't know you were here."

"Apparently. Did you have a good time on your _date_?"

Her eyes narrowed and she regarded him curiously. His tone was harsh, almost condescending and the way he emphasized the word date was not lost on her. Something was definitely wrong. He'd never spoken to her in such a manner before, even when they argued, which was more than she cared to admit.

"_Well_, _did you_? The least you can do is answer me, Daphne!"

Now she was angry. He had no right to speak to her in such a brusque tone.

She had considered confiding in him, for he was the one person she felt that she could always talk to, no matter what the subject. And right now she needed someone desperately. She needed to know that even if by opinion, her date falling apart tonight was not her fault. But clearly Dr. Crane was in no mood to be her friend.

She was mere seconds from giving him a piece of her mind when she moved closer to get a good look at him. And the sight made her freeze. He was lying on Frasier's sofa, his eyes rimmed red and the expression on his face tore at her heart. Once again she felt guilty for being angry with him, even if it was only in her mind. Compassion for her friend consumed her and she gently sat beside him, touching his forearm. "Dr. Crane, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." came the snippy reply.

The words hurt but she knew it was best to leave him alone. He was obviously going to continue speaking to her in a less than acceptable manner and it was bound to lead to an argument. The last thing she needed was more anger in her life. "Well, goodnight Dr. Crane." Taking a deep breath she rose from the sofa and headed for her room. But his voice stopped her.

"Daphne?"

Slowly she turned around to face him. "Yes, Dr. Crane?"

"You… You never answered my question about your date."

Her eyebrows rose, the anger inside of her returning. "Well, you certainly are nosy tonight, Dr. Crane! For your information it's none of your business, but if you must know-."

"How could you do this, Daphne?"  
>His shouting surprised her and her eyes widened. "Do what?"<p>

"I think you know what I'm talking about!"

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"I'm talking about _him_!"

She looked around the living room in confusion, her eyes landing on the only other living being in the room. "Who, Eddie?"

"No, not the damn dog, Daphne! I'm not an idiot, contrary to what most people think!"

"I never said you were. But I'm sorry I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Your _date,_ damn it!" he yelled, jolting her with his loud voice, which quivered uncharacteristically.

"You mean Robert?

"Yeah, Robert. Figures you'd know his name."

"Well I did go out on a date with the man!" She yelled, no longer able to remain calm.

"Right. Why did you go out with him anyway?

Taken aback she stared at Niles in disbelief. What on earth had gotten into him? At first she thought he might have been playing a joke but there was no mistaking the seriousness of his expression. And she was compelled to answer truthfully. "Well if you must know it was because he asked me and I liked him. He was handsome, and nice and funny and-."

"He's all wrong for you, Daphne! Can't you see that? How can you possibly associate with that man? Are you blind and crazy? What were you thinking?"

Now she was fuming and she no longer cared about hurting his feelings, for he had no idea, nor did he seem to care what he was doing to hers. "How dare you tell me who I can and cannot date, Dr. Crane! Your brother may pay my salary but that doesn't give either of you and that includes your father any right to run my life. I work hard and I do me job and the least you three can do is leave me privacy alone! I thought you were me friend!"

"And I thought you were mine, Daphne!"

The words stung and she rose to her feet. The room fell silent with a heaviness in the air. She swallowed hard and turned away, unable to look at him. As she stared into the kitchen, tears blurred her eyes and she quickly brushed them away.

"I am your friend, Dr. Crane." The words were barely a whisper but the quivering of her voice came through loud and clear. "I don't understand. What's happening between us? What's wrong?"

"_This_ is wrong, Daphne! _You _and _Robert_! He's all wrong for you! He'll hurt you and make you feel worthless and I don't want to see that happen!"

"Dr. Crane, how can you say such things? You don't even know him! How can you possibly think-you're a psychiatrist for God's sake! You should know that you shouldn't judge people before you really get to know him, so how can you -."

"Because I do know him, Daphne! I know how he is! I've known since my days at John Adams Junior High! He-."

Daphne's mouth fell open in disbelief when she noticed that his eyes were wet with tears, which he quickly hid behind his hand. "Dr. Crane…"

"Just… forget it, Daphne. It's not important."

She moved closer, her heart aching at the sight of such a strong man becoming so emotional. "I think it is important." Her words were quiet and as she took his hand, it was a gentle touch, in case he resisted her attempt at comfort. She'd never seen him in such an emotional state and it frightened her. "I care about you, Dr. Crane. So much. And that's why I'm worried about you. I didn't know that you were in the same class with Robert. What happened between the two of you?"

He sighed deeply and turned away but she gently took his chin in her hand, turning his face toward hers. "Dr. Crane?"

"H-he hated me. He would shove me to the ground in the lunch room and then put my head between his ankles and hop around the room. He and his brothers, Billy and Danny stuffed Frasier into a locker after forcing him to wear a girl's gym uniform…"

Niles continued with story after horrifying story, bringing tears to Daphne's eyes. With each word that came out of his mouth, she wanted to hold him closer and closer, and tell him that everything would be all right. And by the time he had finished speaking about the traumatic events of his childhood, she was crying openly.

To her surprise, he reached for her hand. "Daphne I am so sorry for speaking so harshly to you before. I was terrible and I should never have treated you with such disrespect. There is no excuse for my behavior but when Frasier told me that you'd gone out with Robert, something happened inside of me and I-"

Daphne squeezed his hand. "And I would have never agreed to go out with him had I known how badly he'd treated you and your brother. It's horrible! Me brothers can be cruel sometimes, but they would never do the things you mentioned. I'm so sorry that happened to you. And your brother." Overcome with emotion she hugged him tightly, stroking his back in a dismal effort to calm him and show him that she cared. But she doubted that her attempt would even scratch the surface of his pain.

However she tried once more by kissing his cheek. "I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane. And I promise that I will never go out with Robert again."

He drew back unexpectedly and nodded. "No. I can't allow that, Daphne."

"I-I don't understand."

His hand still in hers, he ran his thumb lightly over her skin. "It was wrong to get so angry over my past with Robert and the fact that you went out with him. You're right. I have no business telling you who you can and can't go out with."

Daphne sighed deeply and her eyes fell to the floor.

"Is something wrong?"

"I was just thinking about Robert."

"You like him, don't you?"

"I thought I did, but now I realize that… well, you don't have to worry about us going out anymore because tonight was our last date. I could tell right away that he wasn't interested and when I ended our date early he didn't seem upset at all. I guess I just hoped that finally I'd found a man whom I could fall in love with and who would fall in love with me. But I suppose I just read too many romance novels."

Slowly he brought her hand to his lips, letting it linger for several blissful seconds. The gesture made her breath catch in her throat and she stared into his eyes, noticing how handsome he really was. But the truth was that she'd known it all along. "Dr. Crane…"

"Daphne, I would never treat you the way Robert did. If you were mine, um… if we were a couple, I would treat you with nothing but respect. I would listen to anything you had to say, open doors for you, tell you that you are beautiful… because you are… and I'd tell you as much as possible how much I love you… b-because I do."

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she looked into the eyes of her friend. It would be so easy to appear shocked by his words, but in truth she wasn't surprised at all. She wasn't sure how she knew about his feelings for her, or how she knew that she had feelings for him, but her heart had known for a long time. She only wished that she had told him sooner how she felt so that she shouldn't have wasted so much time looking for the right man when he was there all along.

She knew she should say something but there was nothing that she could say that could possibly begin to express what she was feeling at that moment. And so she knelt beside him once more and softly kissed his lips. Just once, and then drew back, smiling at his stunned reaction. "I know that was a bit of a shock. Perhaps we should try it again."

He swallowed hard, reminding her of that scared little boy who had been hurt much too often in his life, both as a child and an adult. And she vowed to keep the hurt away for the rest of their lives. He deserved every happiness in the world. He said nothing but his expression spoke volumes, but she didn't want to frighten him.

And so she spoke softly. "Would you like to kiss me again, Dr. Crane?"

"Yes, But please call me _Niles_."

Her heart fluttered at the unexpected request. "All right, _Niles._"

Once again she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. The kisses were soft and gentle at first, but then quickly turned into something more. And when she drew back to catch her breath, she smiled at him. "How was that?"

He stared at her in apparent shock, his mouth open. Very gently she ran her thumb over his soft lips and smiled. "You know, it's going to take some time to perfect a few things, but don't worry. We have plenty of time to practice. Now, shall we try it again?"

"I think that's a good idea."

She laughed at his nervousness and ran her fingers through his soft hair before leaning to kiss him again. "I was hoping you'd say that."

THE END


End file.
